The Colorado Rush soccer club is worried that a planned sports village at Sterling Ranch could be significantly delayed if private investors are needed to build it.

Colorado Rush plans to swap 52 acres — zoned for residential — that it owns with Sterling Ranch and play in a 100-acre sports village, complete with soccer fields, baseball diamonds, ice rink and other athletic amenities, as soon as next year. The sports village could cost up to $120 million and would be next to Douglas County High School.

But building the sports complex in that time frame is contingent on a variety of factors, including whether Douglas County secures $80 million in tax money from the Regional Tourism Act to fund the complex and the Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve.

Douglas County is in competition with several other entities for the money. A decision is expected in May.

If Douglas County does not get the money, Sterling Ranch would have to turn to private investors to fund the sports village.

Colorado Rush had hoped Sterling Ranch would have already OK’d the land swap so it could have several temporary fields in place soon. Currently, Colorado Rush members play in parks and other public facilities.

“I’m disappointed nothing has transpired as of today when we had an understanding we were going to do a land swap,” said Tim Schultz, chief executive officer for Colorado Rush.

Sterling Ranch does not want to agree to the land swap until it knows Douglas County has received the tourism money. The company also says it can’t build anything until a lawsuit filed by several homeowners against the county is settled.

Sterling Ranch’s Jack Hoagland acknowledged that the tourism money would get the sports village completed quicker. But he said there are no plans to kill it, either, and appraisals are underway on both properties involved in the land swap.

“It could be delayed a couple of years,” Hoagland said. “We never went to the Rush and said we don’t want to do this.”

He also said the process takes time.

“They’re soccer guys, not developers,” Hoagland said.

Glenn McWilliams, chairman of the Colorado Rush board of directors, understands the angst of parents and others, but said the sports complex needs to be done right.

“I think what’s going on is that folks aren’t as familiar with the development process and are frustrated by the length of the process,” McWilliams said. “It’s unfortunate that it takes this long, but I’d rather have it go longer and do it right.”

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